Personal: Tarzan

While studying for some final exams in the library, I clicked on the Tarzan playlist on Spotify. I had just spoken to my family a few days ago on video-call to wish my sister a happy birthday and catch up. My mother mentioned how much we had grown and how I used to want to watch Tarzan, Mulan, Hercules, and Pocahontas all the time. Those were my favorite Disney films as a child and I always used to sing along to them. My favorite songs to sing were the Phil Collins songs from Tarzan with my dad, especially “You’ll Be In My Heart”. Thinking back, that must have been an adorable sight. Missing my family, I began listening to the playlist and then had a realization when I heard the lyrics “two worlds, one family” in the song “Two Worlds”. It seems like such a superficial connection to hear lyrics and think, “Wow! This is my life!” but I had one of those moments. The song relates to my upbringing and identity construction in the sense that my parents always emphasized how important it was that I come from two completely different worlds and what that means in my life, but that we are one family despite those conflicting cultures.

When I was younger, I felt the need to choose between these two conflicting identities: individualized European child or collectivist Asian child. I felt this need because most of my classmates had parents that came from the same country and seemed so stable in their cultural and national identities. I wanted to be as confident as they looked to me. Watching these films and spending time with both of my parents would always relieve that tension because I chose to put myself in an environment where that stark difference in cultures worked very well because my family had created its own culture that integrated Thai-ness, Dutch-ness, and the bits of cultures from the countries we had lived in.

The Parents

My father taught me to be interdependent which was supported by my mother while my mother taught me to be independent and have my own goals and dreams, also supported by my father. Of course, attempting to navigate and find that balance was stressful as a child because I did not have any structure to lean on, but my parents’ varied views did help me become more well-rounded and open-minded. The fact that I am sitting here in my university library and had an emotional moment listening to a Disney soundtrack makes me wonder whether my parents raised me to embrace all cultures and reinforced it with these songs on purpose. Or, perhaps, I now see something in these songs that apply to my upbringing as an adult. It also makes me think of my future. Will I have children who will grow up in one culture that has a specific set of values? Will my spouse be as multicultural as me and how different will they in terms of background? Regardless of what my future holds, I would like my future child to have moments like I have and appreciate the diversity in their life.

Personal: Leadership

On campus, I have a few leadership roles such as the Third Culture Kid Student Coordinator. This position requires that I appoint a student co-chair for the conference to help me, organize agendas to run meetings on a weekly basis, keep constant communication with different departments, reach out to other institutions, publicize the conference through posters, and find a speaker. The TCK Student Coordinator position is just one of a few roles I have on campus. I frequently hear students, faculty, and administration describe me as a leader on campus and it astonishes me everytime because I do not specifically think of myself as a leader.

Since my first year at Clark University, I have seized opportunities to do things I am passionate about. I joined the International Students Association in my first semester and submitted a presentation proposal for the first Third Culture Kids/Global Nomads conference. I wound up presenting on being a bicultural TCK and was asked to become the conference co-chair during my second year here. I slowly moved up the ladder and now hold a treasurer position, coordinator position, study abroad intern position, and peer reviewer position. My peers, professors, and coworkers consistently tell me that I have a unique leadership style.

George et al. (2007) took a group of authentic leaders, as nominated by other people, and interviewed them. They discovered that when they share life story narratives, they “frame [them] in ways that allow them to see themselves not as passive observers of their lives but rather as individuals who can develop self-awareness from their experiences” (pg. 2). I have experienced this in my own life, since I went through periods of reflection relating to identity construction on having a multicultural background. There is also an enormous emphasis on taking the responsibility to developing oneself in order to expand on leadership skills. One of the ways that I develop myself is by admitting that while I do have talents and skills, I am vulnerable. Through recognizing that I have limits, I have a better understanding of what my capabilities are and where I can build on. However, I do not practice reflection because I want to be a better leader, but because I want to better myself as a person.

When I am confronted with situations in which I must be a leader such as leading projects, I try to present myself in a way that reads as confident and likeable. Interestingly enough, I feel more awkward and unnatural when I am consciously thinking of playing the role of the leader but I do need to do some impression management in order for people to want to work with me. McAdams (1997) wrote that “demanding characteristics of everyday life require that men and women operate in strategic ways to manage the impression of others, seeking status and acceptance in their self-defining groups,” which means that in order to be a good leader, one must be able to navigate societal constructs to their advantage.

References:

George, B., Peter, S., Andrew, N., David, M., & Diana, M. (2007). Discovering your authentic leadership. Harvard Business Review, 1-9.

McAdams, D. P. (1997). The case for unity in the (post) modern self. Self and identity: Fundamental issues, 1, 46-78.

For this personal reflection, I have found a childhood picture of my sister and myself. The reason I share an image of one of my immediate family members is because they have been my constant as I grew up and they are the only ones who share as many memories with me in comparison to the friends I had to leave behind and the extended family I see once a year. This means that many of the life story narratives I share with people are narratives that my close family members also have. I find it difficult to describe myself by simply picking adjectives, so I tend to resort to telling people stories.

A common example is explaining my cultural background by sharing the narrative passed down from my parents about how they met and came to move around the world. That narrative has changed over time as my parents have become older and constantly readjust and shift their identities in response to various environmental cues. Narratives can also change depending on one’s identity construction and how one filters things as one goes through the world. This occurs when we retell our stories over time that relate to salient aspects of ourselves at certain points in time and as a consequence, the accuracy of the reconstruction of memories changes. It is important to note that identity does shift and change over time, so what my ideas of my "self" and identity are now will probably be very different when I am older and have gone through more life events, therefore adding more narratives to my already vast collection.

“Identity is the story that the modern I constructs and tells about the me. To the extent the modern I can indeed relate the me as a meaningful story, the I succeeds in meeting the modernist challenge to construe the self as a dynamic, multileveled project that is integrated in time and across social space” (McAdams, 1997,  p. 63)

The modern I in this moment is aware of the many levels of experience throughout time and varied across different social contexts, but I still struggle to reconcile the contrasting details of my life story. When reflecting on my life, I refer to my autobiographical memory which “helps to locate and define the self within an ongoing life story that, simultaneously, is strongly oriented toward future goals” (McAdams, 2001, p. 107). Of course, my autobiographical memories are different from my family’s memories of me because every person interprets the world in their own way. As mentioned in McAdams (2001), “the term personal memory is a misnomer, because the majority of important memories are shared with other people,” so the concept of intimate memories was proposed. Realizing such cognitive processes are influenced by others’ interpretations and stories has lead me to reflect question what aspects of the self stem from me and how much is determined by others and my environment. Of course, there is no objective or experimental way to ascertain the origins of the many facets of my “self,” so I am content with not knowing.

References:

McAdams, D.P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 100 - 118.

McAdams, D. P. (1997). The case for unity in the (post) modern self. Self and identity: Fundamental issues, 1, 46-78.

Personal: "Where are you from?"

This image was taken from Denizen Magazine, an online magazine for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) written by Third Culture Kids (Abrahamian, 2013). It visually helps me answer the question, “Where are you from?” which is difficult to explain succinctly in words. A TCK is someone who has spent their developmental years outside of their parents’ culture(s) and these people are mostly the children of diplomats and military personnel. My Dutch mother has the job of a diplomat which requires a relocating of postings every three to five years while my Thai father is a migration physician which involves dealing with the health of immigrants of natural disasters and political unrest. As a result of my mother’s nomadic career, I have lived in the following countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, France, and the Netherlands.

This image illustrates the feeling of “floating” because I do not have any roots in any particular culture or even a specific country. Of course, I am a Dutch national and have Thai nationality as well if I choose to claim it, but I do not feel as if I fully belong in either of those cultures. Identity exploration has always been tense for me since my mother has a liberal background that encourages me to go out and explore while my father has a strict, Muslim background with strong beliefs and contrasting societal structures. The dichotomy of my cultures in combination with my international nomadic lifestyle acted as challenges in forming my identities and sense of self.

Phinney (1990) mentions the issues resulting in the participation of two cultures in relation to social identity theory, as identification with two different groups could cause issues in overall identity formation and development. These problems can manifest as a result of conflicting attitudes, beliefs, practices, behaviors, values, and other social constructs. So it is up to the individual to decide on whether to choose between the different identities or to establish their own bicultural identity. To relate it to my own life, I felt the need to choose between my Thai and Dutch identities when I was in school and it created an incredible sense of unease because I felt that I was not being fully myself. For example, when I decided that I was Dutch and tried to fully participate in that culture by talking to all the Dutch students and presenting myself in such a way that I would give off the impression that I am Dutch, I received rejection because I do not look traditionally Dutch and do not behave that way either (Goffman, 1959). I actually found that having such an ambiguous cultural background was seen as a stigmatized identity by others because it made people’s inherent need to categorize almost impossible, thus creating discomfort. This kind of tension occurred in schools with students who also had nomadic lifestyles, but had parents of the same culture. There was still quite a high level of understanding.

It was only once I began attending university that I became much more comfortable having a multifaceted cultural identity, but I still had the fear of disclosure of my story to my classmates especially since many of my classmates have a strong sense of where they are “from”. I had a scripted answer for that dreaded question: “Where are you from?” but felt miserable for hiding the whole story. Fortunately, I had a positive first disclosure experience the Director of Intercultural Affairs when I was seeking social support (Chaudoir & Quinn, 2010, p. 572). Because of this supportive and encouraging experience, I became involved in spreading awareness of this unique experience and it has become a part of my identity.

More fun links:

• Denizen Magazine
• Buzzfeed: "31 Signs You're a Third Culture Kid"
• "So Where is Home? A Film About Third Culture Kid Identity" (~ 9 min long)

References:

Abrahamian, A. (2013, July 25). Drifting Between Nations. Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.denizenmag.com/2011/05/drifting-between-nations/

Chaudoir, S.R., Quinn, D.M. (2010). Revealing concealable stigmatized identities: the impact of disclosure motivations and positive first-disclosure experiences on fear of disclosure and well-being. Journal of Social Issues, 570 - 582.

Goffman, E. (1959). Introduction. The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life, 13 - 27.

Phinney, J.S. (1990). Ethnic identity in adolescents and adults: review of research. American Psychological Association Psychological Bulletin, 499-511.

Personal: Maya Angelou

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody” - Maya Angelou

I found this quote by Maya Angelou that I have heard many people say to loved ones. It speaks to me since I felt a connection to self and identity because using it as a mantra can influence the way people shift their identities. These transformations in identity using this idea that Maya Angelou proposed can occur because a person may ignore societal pressures and take actions that come from their own desires and goals. This quote relates to a phrase I have heard all my life from my parents as a way of encouraging my independence as a young girl. My identity was very much rooted in the idea that I am a leader rather than a follower, and that my reasons for doing things should come from my own interests. Even though it is meaningful to me, it has caused confusion. If I had not gotten support from my loved ones and had meaningful experiences over the years, I would not be who I am today. So while I am enough, I would not have become enough without the opportunities I received from my parents, for example.

This quote hints to the idea of having a true self (Swann and Bosson, 2010). Maya Angelou suggests that one should grasp one’s true self and try to commit to it.  However, it discredits Goffman’s concept that people are actors and one is only concerned with the impressions one gives or gives off (Goffman, 1959). By not needing to prove yourself to others, you strike down the characters you play in social situations and cling onto your idea of your true self. Whether your true self is a combination of identities that become salient in certain situations is unclear, but the need to put on a performance is unnecessary.

The young women in Schultz’s case studies were faced with the societal expectations that they would fail. While some girls would fall into these self-fulfilling prophecies, others would find reasons to succeed for themselves (Schultz, 1999). In this sense, they ended up achieving more when there were intrinsic motivators rather than the need to prove themselves to others. Yet, it is still possible for extrinsic motivators to cause a shift in identity, such as wanting to avoid the same future as another member of your society. Knowing that you are enough can also suggest that one can be self-sufficient and many of the women were taught this mentality, but “at times, this self-sufficiency kept [them] from reaching out, asking for help or even working in groups with [their] peers” (Schultz, 1999, p. 96). So does one need others in order to stay self-sufficient and devout to one’s true self? Studies show that in many cultures, women are raised to be interdependent in an attempt to reflect on the self and improve it, so the idea of being a woman and being self-sufficient differs from being a man and being self-sufficient. By being interdependent, one is gaining support from others and is also acting as support for others. This type of environment creates more narratives in which women can learn about themselves simply by participating.

In conclusion, the notion that “you alone are enough” is dependent on societal and individual circumstances. Not needing to prove anything to anybody suggests that one’s shifting identity is independent of societal expectations rather than connected to it. I find this disagreeable since identity constantly repositions in response to culture, group dynamics, and societal norms. Nevertheless, Maya Angelou’s idea that one should be true to oneself despite societal pressures is crucial to maintaining a strong sense of who you are.

References:

Goffman, E. (1959). Introduction. The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life, 13-27.

Scultz, K. (1999). Identity narratives: stories from the lives of urban adolescent females. The Urban Review, 31(1), 79-104.

Swann, W. B., Bosson, J. K. (2010). Chapter 13. Self and identity, 589-628.

Social Issue Post: What Can I Do?

For my last social issues blog, I wanted to discuss the small things individuals can do to combat behaviors that support harmful gender roles paired with an example.

1. When your friends are stigmatizing someone in a gendered way, call them out!

Stop your friends from calling women derogatory terms. For example, if your friend comes to you venting about a woman who rejected his offer to go out on a date and calls her a “bitch” because of this refusal, tell him it is not acceptable. Allowing people to call women derogatory terms of the like supports the type of assumptions that women are supposed to be the weaker sex and that they should agree with whatever men say. Instead, you should reinforce the idea that women can do what they wish and that they are independent in their own right. This reinforcement should also be used in women’s behavior towards men, such as when a man is not regarded as physically strong and is therefore deemed less masculine.

2. Support films and television series with strong female characters.

While the media is a huge contributor to harmful gender narratives, there are some films and television series that do set good examples of portraying strong female characters. By making these strong female characters more popular and “cool” than those who just act as attractive support, then young girls and even boys will find that desirable - to be or know a strong woman with her own goals. A few examples (I asked some friends, too) are Parks and Recreation, Orange is the New Black, and How to Get Away with Murder. Each of these series contains at least one strong female character who has her own storyline and is supported by other characters.

3. Share your own stories.

By allowing men and women to share their stories, we give room for the narratives of real people to inspire boys and girls. This will slowly weed out media-created stories of girls who need to be a certain prescription of pretty and boys who need to be tough and athletic. Men can let their more feminine qualities show and women can let their more masculine qualities show in order to encourage others to do the same, since there is nothing wrong with having both kinds of attributes. In fact, it is because men are told to hide their emotions that many are unable to express anger they feel and that women are called “bossy” when they are in traditionally male professions or in any way they take charge of a situation or relationship. Let’s allow people to strive for what they want in life and stop telling them they can’t.

4. Use social media to your advantage

Social media is a great tool for sharing information about yourself and the world with others. If you see an article on a powerful woman or discussing the dangers of these limiting gender narratives: share it, send it to your peers, and discuss it. Along with sharing your own stories, you also need to be able to have these conversations with those in your environment.

5. Support those around you.

While it is important to create these conversations in your environment, being there to listen to others is just as important. Show people that you are there to hear their stories.

Social Issue Post: Misrepresentation & Miss Representation

As mentioned in my previous blogs, the gender roles that are set in society are perpetuated in many different outlets one of which being the media. Advertisements are constantly using women as sexual objects to market their products while the film and television industries give women empty roles that do not inspire young women. Women are indirectly told that they need to fit a specific mold that encompasses particular characteristics. These kinds of messages can be extremely harmful to girls and young women who are going through identity construction and strongly influence the choices they make. Men also have these gender roles set for them that can also damage their self-esteem and overall self-concept. Many of these roles come from the idea that they should not be like women. Therefore, many of these identity issues stem from the societal expectations on women that have been amplified through the media. It is crucial to combat these restrictive gender roles so that children can grow up feeling free to explore both their masculine and feminine qualities without the fear of being stigmatized.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and former actress, founded The Representation Project after producing a film called Miss Representation in response to how “the media’s misrepresentations of women contribute to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence” (The Representation Project). This film received an overwhelmingly positive response which inspired her to launch a campaign and she has worked to produce two more films since then. The overall aim of this non-profit organization is to expose the limiting gender narratives in our society and to use media as a tool to bring about cultural change. The film, The Mask You Live In, works to expose the limiting masculinity narratives. Therefore, Miss Representation became The Representation Project in order to call people of all genders, races, beliefs, and so on to work towards healthier cultural narratives.

The Movie Poster

Marie Wilson, Founding President of “The White House Project”, mentions in one of the short clips on the Miss Representation website: “you can’t be what you can’t see” (The Representation Project). This simple phrase cleverly points out the issue with letting young women be influenced by a media that under-represents powerful women. They do not have any role models to look up to and the strong women who are featured in the media are asked unimportant questions or given derogatory remarks on their physical appearance. Because little girls and young women “can’t see” their role models and are shown sexualized images instead, they are brought up to be insecure and seen as objects.

In order to bring about this cultural change, it is important that both women and men share their narratives so as to create a more comfortable environment for others to share theirs too. This can be looked at as disclosing stigmatized identities in order to inspire others to do the same. If people disclosed the masculine and feminine qualities in them and kept receiving support, then there would be some emphasis on creating a value in feminine and masculine qualities in each person (Chaudoir et al., 2010). By taking the behaviors that have been feminized such as being in touch with one’s emotions or cooking and creating narratives that make these behaviors less undesirable, we can encourage others to show these behaviors that they normally would have hidden in order for people to achieve their full potential. 

More fun links: The Mask You Live In
Miss Representation Official Trailer

References:

Chaudoir, S.R., Quinn, D.M. (2010). Revealing concealable stigmatized identities: the impact of disclosure motivations and positive first-disclosure experiences on fear of disclosure and well-being. Journal of Social Issues, 570 - 582.

The Representation Project. (2014). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://therepresentationproject.org/about/mission/

Social Issue Post: Objectification and the Ideal

As a woman, I can say that one of the biggest struggles many females face is navigating their body image and their sense of self during the most critical developmental years. People take information from the world around them, including the representation of what a normative woman should look and behave like. This intake and internalization of information builds on a woman’s identity. If there is a dissonance between how a woman thinks she should look and how she actually looks, then it can cause great discomfort and possibly lead to harmful, negative cognitions.

When one flips through a magazine and finds oneself on an advertisement page, it is unsurprising to see a highly sexualized image of a woman with the product in question. Women are portrayed as sexual objects in advertising in order to get men to take the desire for the pictured woman and associate it with a desire for the product companies are trying to sell. These sexualized advertisements are also directed to women and makes them believe that if they buy the product that they can get closer to looking as beautiful as the women in the advertisements.There are important implications in the fact that so many magazines are filled with multiple pages of these types of advertisements, as teenage girls often spend time reading them. Publishing and viewing these images encourage the idea it is socially acceptable to view women as objects first and then as intelligent, agentive people (Miner-Rubino et al., 2002).

In the film industry, the majority of protagonists are male and have elaborate backstories that make them more interesting and relatable while many female roles are those of supporting characters whose qualities support the male protagonist. Because of this trend, male audience members are better able to identify with the protagonist while female audience members cannot. A film theory concept of male gaze, which “refers to the lens through which mostly white, heterosexual men are viewing the world” (Lueptow, 2013), is applicable here as it allows for men to feel entitlement to women’s bodies and for women to accept objectification. This theory also translates into real life situations. As Calogero (2004) found, women who anticipate a male gaze felt significantly more body shame than if they anticipated a female gaze. Many of society’s gender roles come from and are reinforced by advertising and cinema, including roles women are expected to play in everyday life. If young women are getting the idea that they need to be a certain kind of beautiful and behave a certain way, but their behavior and physical attributes do not match, then these women will feel negatively about themselves. This type of cognitive process could hinder any healthy identity exploration that would lead to positive self-concept and self-esteem. It is important that the media changes in some significant ways in order to combat these negative constructs.

Making major changes to industries is difficult, but there are changes that are worth attempting. In reference to the advertising world, women should stop being used as sexual objects that are used to sell products. Instead, these companies should use women’s status and accomplishments to legitimize these products. Advertisements can also have a female spokesperson that is famous for their humor or intellect. For example, Ellen DeGeneres is a famous comedienne who is known for advocating for people to be true to themselves and “be kind to one another”. Ms. DeGeneres has also posed for the makeup brand Cover Girl, appearing fully clothed and not sexualized at all. She is still a role model for young women and encourages healthy identity exploration. Dove® also launched their "Real Beauty" campaign in which women of all sizes, races, and ages are featured in their commercials instead of the thin ideal in an attempt to boost women's self-esteems and redefine societal beauty. Their campaign states that "beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety" (The Dove Campaign). In regards to the film industry, there should be more films that are shot in the perspective of a female protagonist so that there are more young women who can identify with strong and admirable female roles.

References:

Calogero, R. M. (2004). A test of objectification theory: The effect of the male gaze on appearance concerns in college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(1), 16-21.

Lueptow, K. (2013, May 27). 4 Ways To Challenge The Male Gaze. Retrieved November 15, 2014, from http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/05/changing-male-gaze/

Miner-Rubino, K., Twenge, J. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2002). Trait self-objectification in women: Affective and personality correlates. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(2), 147-172.

The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty. (2014, January 1). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx

Social Issue Post: Entertainment and Women's Self-Concept

In this blog post I will be touching on the issues of gender roles that society places on women, the representation of women in television and film, and the effect of media outlets on women’s self-perceptions and identity formation.

In order to understand identity construction in relation to female gender roles, it important to understand the concept of gender which is “culturally or socially constructed roles, attributes, behaviors, activities that a society considers appropriate” (Curtin, 2014). It also important to be note that gender identity and gender roles can be viewed as two different constructs. The influence of media on young women begins with the cognitive process of social comparisons, which occurs when an individual makes self and other evaluations relating to many domains in order to determine their personal and social value (Festinger, 1954).

This process becomes dangerous from an early age: “The emergence of gender identity begins once infants are able to recognize themselves” which happens at 18 months (Bussey, 2011, p. 610). Such early construction of gender identity means that girls can start recognizing that society gives them ideas on “how to be a girl” through multiple outlets.

Schemas in cognitive psychology are networks we create for ourselves in order to organize and understand behavior. One of these types of schemas is self-schemas, which holds the network that informs us of ourselves. We form these schemas through taking the societal information around us and using them as shortcuts to understand the world, so television series and films with certain gender roles for females can inform young women’s schemas for “how to be a woman” and therefore affect their self-schemas. Again, these processes are not conscious. These prescribed gender roles, reinforced by the media, can also lead to gender inequality and therefore even sexism. 

Sexism is prevalent in the film industry, as most desirable lead parts are given to men. Also, when men are interviewed on the red carpet, they are asked questions about their ambition and upcoming projects while women are asked about their appearance, balancing family life, and romantic life. Jennifer Gardner recently spoke out against sexism in the entertainment industry, illustrating differences on how her husband, Ben Affleck, is treated in interviews versus how she is treated (Sieczkowski, 2014). While this Hollywood couple shares the same family, she is the one who receives questions about motherhood and balancing a career. Not only does this show the way society sees women, but it also encourages the societal assumption that women should be attractive, caring, and not as ambitious when it comes to similar goals that men have.

Fortunately, we can begin to combat these assumptions and expectations by becoming more aware of these societal presumptions; identifying the cognitive processes that hurt women’s self-image, self-esteem, and self-schemas; and begin to actively encourage women to strive for whichever goals they have, whether they be traditionally viewed as masculine or feminine. While this is already something we do, there needs to be more emphasis put on exposing harmful representations of women.

References

Bussey, K. (2011). Gender identity development. Handbook of Identity Theory and Research, 603-610.

Curtin, N., Personal communication, October 8, 2014

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human relations,7(2), 117-140.

Sieczkowski, C. (2014). Jennifer garner denounces showbiz sexism in speech at ‘women in hollywood’ event. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/21/jennifer-garner-sexism-women-in-hollywood_n_6020920.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000046

Social Issue Post: Women in the Media

The social issue I would like to focus on is feminism and gender equality. To go deeper, I would like to concentrate on the portrayal of women in the media and how it encourages certain stereotypes and gender roles. Women form their identities from their social context which includes the advertisements and role models from the media. These outside sources can be damaging for women’s self-esteem and thus influence their identities.

Throughout history, advertising companies have over-sexualized women in order to sell their products. The concept of “the perfect woman” has been around for decades, shifting over time, but nevertheless decided by men. In the 1920’s, a woman was considered desirable if she had a boyish figure, short hair, and heavy well-done make up. The ideal body image then shifted to large-breasted, curvy women who were domesticated. This ideal was especially encouraged during Marilyn Monroe’s fame as she was regarded as a role model for women. In the 1960’s, female beauty was considered to be more natural and “hippie”, which then changed to having big hair and fuller bodies in 1970’s to 1980’s (Cosslett & Baxter, 2013). Today, the media portrays the ideal to be thinness, large breasts, long hair, and a “natural” look that is still achieved through make up.

Many women take these examples from the media and develop poor body image that involves feelings of shame, which is the feeling of humiliation and distress caused by the consciousness of the self. One of the most common forms of shaming is self-shaming which is when person encourages negative emotions toward the self. According to Bedrick (2013), a widespread example is when a person looks in the mirror and does not like what they see. Whether they think their body is too flabby or they dislike another aspect of themselves, the first reaction is disgust and dislike. It continues when the person begins internalizing negative thoughts about the self by making dispositional attributions thus encouraging self-shame. Unfortunately, this is quite common in young girls which can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Much of the thought process behind wanting to be thin is that many people believe that thinness will lead to happiness (Carson, 2009). 

Besides the portrayal of incredibly thin women in the media, television series, films, and advertisements also show women as not being central to the plot. Young women are impressionable and the gender roles portrayed by the body types and personalities of female characters in the media can influence the way they think about their own bodies and roles in the world. Since identity is formed with the background of social context, seeing these “perfect” women makes many young girls compare themselves and feel inadequate. They also take the information they learn from observing gender roles on the media and attempting to adjust so they fit those roles. While these women are working on their identities externally, working on the self as an internal process may create cognitive dissonance. For example, a young woman may give off one identity but her self may have developed differently which means that it could cause a shift in self-perception. This could be dangerous and if there is no change on a larger level then women will not be seen the way they want to be seen.

References:

Bedrick, D. (2013). Shame, body image, and weight loss. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/is-psychology-making-us-sick/201301/shame-body-image-and-weight-loss

Carson, S. (2009). Hollywood portrayal of thinness, success, and butter. Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-art/200908/hollywood-portrayal-thinness-success-and-butter

Cosslett, R. L., & Baxter, H. (2013). The five main issues facing modern feminism. NewStatesman. Retrieved from http://www.newstatesman.com/v-spot/2013/05/five-main-issues-facing-modern-feminism